Bulk trash containers or bins, also commonly referred to as “dumpsters,” are large bins constructed from a material such as heavy duty metal and equipped with a hinged lid. Refuse may be deposited within the containers, and the refuse may periodically be emptied from the container via a specialized truck equipped with a mechanical bin lifting and dumping mechanism, whereby the bin is lifted up and tilted over a hopper on the truck in order to empty the bin of refuse. The bin may then be tilted back into an upright position and lowered into position on the ground. The truck may continue on to the next such bin, and so on until the hopper is filled up. The refuse may then be transported on the truck to a refuse collection facility for further processing.
It is desirable for bulk trash container bins to have locks on the lids to prevent unauthorized access to the refuse bin while the bin is upright and on the ground. However, the locks must be constructed so as not to interfere with the lifting and dumping mechanism of the refuse trucks. For this reason, it is desirable that the locks have a low profile, meaning that the locking mechanism remains near to the dumpster body during locking and unlocking. It is also desirable that the lock mechanism automatically unlock as the bin is tilted over the truck, so that a person is not required to manually unlock the container prior to dumping and then relock the container following dumping. The locks also desirably include a manual unlocking mechanism so that the lid can be lifted by authorized personnel while the trash container is on the ground.
With regard to the foregoing, one embodiment of the disclosure provides a low profile locking mechanism for a refuse container lid. The mechanism includes an enclosed first housing for mounting on a side wall of a refuse container. The enclosed first housing includes an actuator arm extending from a top wall of the first housing, the actuator arm has a first counterweighted end, a first locking bar end opposite the first counterweighted end, a first pivot opening for pivotal rotation about a first shaft, and a locking tab offset from the first pivot opening between the counterweighted end and the locking bar end. The enclosed first housing further includes a second shaft disposed through the housing. The second shaft is capable of both rotational movement about an axis and translational movement along the axis. An L-shaped locking arm is enclosed in the housing and is pivotally attached to the second shaft for engaging the locking tab. The locking arm has a first end, a second end distal from the first end, and a second pivot opening between the first end and the second end. The locking arm may be pivoted by gravity about the second shaft from a locked position to an unlocked position upon tilting the container at least about 25 degrees.
In a further embodiment, the disclosure describes a gravity operated trigger lock mechanism for locking a refuse container lid. The trigger lock mechanism includes a first housing attached to a first side wall of the container. The first housing includes an actuator arm pivotally attached to the housing and a gravity operated trigger mechanism pivotally disposed in the housing for engaging a tab on the actuator arm. The mechanism also includes a second housing attached to an opposing side wall of the container and including a pivot arm attached to the housing. A locking bar is attached to the actuator arm and the pivot arm so that the locking bar is disposed over a portion of the lid in a locked position and is disposed forward of the lid in an unlocked position.
In still another embodiment, the present disclosure describes a gravity operated container lid hold down device. The device includes a first housing structure attached to a first side wall of the container. The first housing structure includes an actuator means for pivotal movement on a first shaft attached to the first housing structure between a lid hold down position and a lid opening position. The first housing structure also includes a trigger means having pivotal movement on a second shaft disposed through the housing for permitting movement of the actuator means from the lid hold down position to the lid opening position as the container is tilted. A second housing structure is attached to a second side wall of the container. The second housing structure includes a dummy actuator means for pivotal movement on a third shaft attached to the second housing structure between the lid hold down position and the lid opening position. An elongate member means is attached to the actuator means and the dummy actuator means so that the elongate member is disposed from the first side of the container to the second side of the container across the lid.
An advantage of the present disclosure may be that the locking mechanism is able to automatically unlock during the dumping process, eliminating the need for manual unlocking and locking during dumping. Another advantage is that locking mechanism may be laterally displaced from an automatic locking position to a manual unlocking position that does not interfere with movement of the actuator arm of the locking mechanism.
Additional objects and advantages of the disclosed device will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and/or can be learned by practice of the disclosed embodiments. The objects and advantages of the disclosure will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure, as claimed.